On the power of first-gen nursing students from BIPOC communities

Being the first of your family to do something is a big deal. It’s an especially big deal when that thing is “going to college.” BIPOC first-gen college students who aspire to become healthcare workers must persevere against unique obstacles, and their aspiration is a goal often shared by the entire family. Yet, navigating the higher education world when you lack collective family guidance to do so can be especially challenging for BIPOC nursing students. Here we will examine the obstacles to success—and the great potential for achievement—that these students face. 

Less ‘me’ more ‘we’.

When your parents, (and often times, extended family), have sacrificed so much in the name of making a better life for the younger generations to come, enormous pressure can be placed on the ones lifted up. But the rewards for achieving that success are even greater. Successful first generation nursing students, in particular, are able to harness that pressure and transform it into a driving force. This in turn allows them to give back to the communities that raised them—and pave the way for future first-gen BIPOC students to see themselves represented. 

There is no better impetus for empathy than sharing lived experiences. And BIPOC first-gen nursing students have these experiences lining their back pockets. 2020 was finally the year that shone a light on just how closely racial and socioeconomic status is tied to health status in this country—and especially how marginalized communities are underserved. Much of this divide also stems from being underrepresented. The implicit biases that exist in healthcare are numerous, pervasive, and persistent. And they continue to exist because the healthcare workforce is overwhelmingly white. Not only do first-generation students bring sorely-needed perspectives to healthcare, their experiences also make clear the hurdles they have to jump to even get in the door, barriers that need to be addressed.

For some first generation BIPOC students, they may find that they are the first of their ethnic or cultural group that their White classmates have ever interacted with. These daily interactions—in the lecture halls, clinical rotations, and study groups—are extremely effective ways to make connections between people of different backgrounds. And that is just one of the profound ways that BIPOC first-gen students can influence their culturally naive classmates into being more empathetic caregivers. It certainly makes the inclusion of minority first generation nursing students of utmost importance. It also highlights the importance of having multiple viewpoints from multiple walks of life in the classroom.

The first-person experiences many first generation BIPOC nursing students and their collective families share—like navigating government bureaucracies, the justice system, language barriers, school, and healthcare—hold a wealth of information that no nursing textbook can ever convey. Their classmates would do well to recognize the value that comes from sharing learning space with first generation BIPOC students, and take part in their support. In addition to their direct and allied support, connecting BIPOC first-gen nursing students with one another is a crucial too, to provide an inclusive safe space.

We can change healthcare by changing the face of healthcare.

The United States is often referred to as a melting pot. But demographically, healthcare workers are predominantly white, and many come from a long line of college-educated families. Despite this fact, growth of BIPOC populations currently outpaces that of caucasians. In a few decades, those considered ‘minorities’ will be, in fact, the majority. This shift in demographics needs to take place in the healthcare world as well, especially as non-White populations age and find themselves in need of higher levels of healthcare services. 

To meet this need, higher education institutions must step up to recruit, enroll, and support minority nursing students, including the thousands who come from first generation families. The more that nurses (and really, all healthcare workers) can reflect the patient populations they serve, the better the health outcomes will be for these folks. Filling a few of these healthcare “cracks” with well-educated, highly skilled first-gen providers will help to mitigate some—but definitely not all—of the socioeconomic and racial disparities that these patients face within the healthcare system.

It will also help the care they receive feel more caring. It is a well-established fact that BIPOC patients are more likely to choose a provider that looks—and speaks—like them. What’s more, the rapport built on familiarity and trust helps to foster a deeper and more meaningful connection to the healthcare system as a whole; these patients are more likely to remain compliant with treatments, follow-up care, and overall routine health maintenance. To that end, simply increasing the prevalence of minorities in the workforce would improve the health of millions of BIPOC Americans. Helping to close such a substantial healthcare gap would be incredible, and first-gen BIPOC nursing students will play a big role in that shift.

If you are a first-gen BIPOC nursing student, bravo to your journey towards higher education. The light you bring to the nursing profession is shining brighter by the day, and there are so many out there committed to your success!